Plastic wraps, metal foils and waxed papers, etc. are commonly employed to package, protect and preserve food products before and/or after preparation. These materials are typically fabricated in sheets, rolled/wrapped over a tubular structure, e.g. a cylindrical cardboard tube, and disposed/sold in an elongate box, which commonly functions as a dispenser in addition to a container for the rolled-material. The box dispenser may comprise a serrated metal strip along an edge of the box to cut/separate the material into desired lengths for use. To dispense the material, the consumer holds an end of the material in one hand and the box dispenser in the other, pulls the two apart applying tension to the material, and rotates or otherwise orients the box so as to cause the serrated cutting edge to grab and cut the material. While box dispensers of this type have and are still widely used for dispensing such materials, most consumers are familiar with (and tolerate) the various drawbacks and difficulties of such dispensing devices. Also, the application of tension may cause recoil or spring-back of the material (upon itself) requiring cumbersome (and, oftentimes, frustrating) separation/straightening of the material (into a flat sheet). The tendency for the material to spring back and fold upon itself maybe even more problematic in materials having resilient properties (i.e. a low elastic modulus) such as plastic wraps.
Other difficulties relate to the inability for such serrated cutting blades to produce a clean, even cut, i.e., parallel to the axis of the webbed material. It will be appreciated that the serrated blades, which essentially puncture the material to create aligned perforations, produce a rough or tattered edge. While shaper blades produce a cleaner cut, such blades may be hazardous inasmuch as the blades are typically mounted to an edge of the container and are exposed.
Other cutting devices employ a cutting blade attached to and slideable within a guide track. The web material is dispensed, laid across the track, and cut by passing the cutting blade edgewise through the material. While these cutting devices produce a clean, even cut, the track and blade typically protrude well beyond the exterior of the dispensing container thereby producing an unstreamlined external geometry. Aside from aesthetic drawbacks, the cutting device produces difficulties storing, packaging and stacking the dispensing containers. Inasmuch as the dispensing container typically functions as both a dispensing device and a product packaging container, integration of the cutting device into the container produces an asymmetric geometric profile and prevents organized packing or stacking of the containers for shipment or store display.
Yet another difficulty relates to the structural integration of such cutting devices with the dispensing container. As discussed earlier, serrated cutting blades are typically located and mounted along an edge of the container where the blade is supported by the compressive strength/buckling stability of a container wall. A downward load imposed on the cutting blade is reacted in compression by the underlying container wall. Track-guided cutting devices, however, typically require mounting along a planar surface and impose shear loads within the sidewall structures of a container. As such, the containers are prone to failure, particularly after multiple cycles of use, in areas subject to shear loading, e.g., corners of the container.
A need therefore exists for a cutting assembly which provides a favorable geometric profile, obviates structural flaws, produces a clean even cut through the webbed material, is aesthetically pleasing and safe for consumer use.